Wellington Fhilosophical Society. 391 



be cut during that season ; therefore other methods of getting rid of the sap 

 must be resorted to. In some parts of Great Britain, and notably in the 

 Imperial Dockyards, the timber is " streamed," the running water washing 

 out the sap, and being afterwards itself more easily got rid of. A less efficient 

 plan is to stack the wood in such a way that it is exposed to the full benefit of 

 the rain and wind. The kauri timber of Auckland is much improved by 

 being floated down the streams to the place of shipment. When timber is 

 placed in contact with damp earth decay can only be prevented by its 

 infiltration with antiseptic fluids, or other preservatives. The totara 

 {Podocarpus totara) is indebted to a secreted oil for its preservation. In the 

 crude petroleum of Poverty Bay we possess an excellent artificial substitute 

 for this natural secretion, and it therefore only remains to prove whether the 

 renewal of timber every few years would cost less than the oil and its 

 application. The permeating power of petroleum is very great. Either by 

 painting the surface, or by infiltration, wood already in use might be made 

 safe for many years. It may not be genei-ally known that the application of 

 kerosene will arrest dry rot. The author finished by pointing out that our 

 present hand-to-mouth system can only be productive of short-lived buildings. 

 The Hon. Mr. "Waterhouse said that the paper read did not nearly 

 exhaust the subject. Certain seasons shoiild be set apart for cutting timber. 

 The very best heart of totara piles in his house were quite rotten after being 

 only six years in the ground. A knife could be pushed into their very centre. 

 Some timber at Castle Point also rotted at the base after six years. The 

 timber had been cut in summer, and at once placed in the ground. Charring 

 is a good preservative for wood in the ground, and manuka cut at the proper 

 season and charred is preferable to anything] but if cut in summer it will 

 only last a short time. Sleepers should always be charred. He hoped the 

 matter would not be lost sight of, 



2. "On Solar and Terrestrial Eadiation," by C. Eous Marten, P. M.S. 



(abstract.) 



The author described the instruments employed in the registration of the 

 solar rays, and the methods adopted by meteorologists to obtain readings. He 

 then proceeded to point out that the solar radiation in the South Island attained 

 a degree which was never reached in the North Island. In Melbourne, where 

 the temperature usually ranged much higher than in New Zealand, the highest 

 solar range registered during a period of 16 years was 160°. At the Cape 

 and in Sydney the highest range was 140° ; while, in the South Island, 

 readings of 170° were frequently shown, and on one occasion in Southland the 

 solar rays reached the extraordinary reading of 195°. The author said that 

 he would read a fuller paper on the subject at a future meeting. 



Mr. Travers was aware that the high readings spoken of by Mr. Marten 



